Characterization of a wild-type strain of Francisella tularensis isolated from a cat.

Francisella tularensis type A is the primary cause of tularemia in animals and humans in North America. The majority of research on F. tularensis has been done with the attenuated live vaccine strain (LVS), which is a type B, but very few wild-type F. tularensis strains have been characterized. A gram-negative coccobacillus that was isolated in pure culture from the lungs of a cat that died after being lost for 5 days was received for identification at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine Teaching hospital. The isolate (strain TI0902) was not identified (or was misidentified) by commercial identification systems; however, it was identified as F. tularensis subspecies tularensis (type A) by sequencing a portion of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene. Furthermore, repetitive extragenic palindromic sequences-polymerase chain reaction amplified a 4-kb DNA fragment from TI0902 that was characteristic of F. tularensis type A but not type B. The electrophoretic profile of the lipopolysaccharide of strain TI0902 was identical to that of the LVS by Western blotting with antiserum to LVS. The protein-enriched outer membrane of strain TI0902 contained 6-8 proteins, which were similar in molecular size to those from the LVS. Electron microscopy of negatively stained and alcian blue-stained LVS and TI0902 cells showed that both strains were coccobacillary in shape and may be encapsulated. However, after mouse challenge, the TI0902 strain was clearly more virulent than the LVS strain. Results of this study indicate that the genotype and phenotype of wild-type F. tularensis type A strain TI0902 is similar, but not identical, to that of the LVS strain. Further studies will help determine whether pathogenesis and host-pathogen interactions are also similar between the 2 strains.     

Pancreatic islet fibrosis in rock hyraxes (Procavia capensis), Part 1: Case histories, clinical pathology, and epizootiology.

Two adult female rock hyraxes (Procavia capensis) at the Dallas Zoo were confirmed with spontaneous diabetes mellitus from 1997-2000, whereas a third animal with a similar clinical presentation never became hyperglycemic. The pancreas in all three animals showed pancreatic islet fibrosis (PIF). Retrospective examination of medical records for rock hyraxes acquired by this collection or born into it from 1991-2002 identified eight more animals affected with PIE All affected animals, including three males and eight females, were 1-7 yr of age and presented either with vague clinical signs of soft feces and rough hair coat or were acutely moribund or dead. Clinical pathology data was available for seven of the animals before onset of overt clinical signs and revealed inappropriate hyperglycemia in six, as well as elevated serum concentrations of creatine phosphokinase, amylase, and lipase in all seven animals. Pedigree evaluation did not support a familial pattern for PIE Review of the histopathology findings from nine other zoologic collections with rock hyrax deaths during the study period identified six institutions with 12 additional cases genetically unrelated to the incident collection. Histopathology and viral serology did not support an infectious cause. Analysis of serum anti-islet and anti-insulin antibodies did not suggest autoimmune disease, and none of the animals had known exposure to toxic substances. Limited nutritional analyses did not support a nutritional basis for the condition, and the cause for PIF remains unknown.     

Candidate genes underlying QTL for flowering time and their interactions in a wide spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) cross

Response to vernalization and photoperiod are the main determinants controlling the time to flowering in temperate cereals. While the individual genes that dete...     

Ultra‐long‐acting recombinant insulin for the treatment of diabetes mellitus in dogs

BackgroundFor the treatment of diabetes mellitus (DM) in dogs, novel insulins with decreased injection frequency while maintaining safety and efficacy are desirable. Insulin fused with immunoglobulin‐fragment‐crystallizable (Fc) has an ultra‐long plasma half‐life because it recycles through cells, protected from proteolysis.HypothesisGlycemic control can be achieved in diabetic dogs with a recombinant fusion protein of a synthetic insulin and canine Fc (AKS‐218d) administered subcutaneously once‐weekly.AnimalsFive client‐owned dogs with naturally occurring DM.MethodsProspective clinical trial in dogs with DM that were recruited from the UC Davis Veterinary Teaching Hospital and local veterinary clinics. Dogs previously controlled using intermediate‐acting insulin q12h were transitioned to once‐weekly injections of a preliminary construct identified as AKS‐218d. The dose of AKS‐218d was titrated weekly for 8 weeks based on clinical response and continuous interstitial glucose monitoring. Clinical signs, body weight, serum fructosamine concentrations, and mean interstitial glucose concentrations (IG) over the preceding week were compared between baseline (before AKS‐218d) and during the last week of treatment. Data were compared using nonparametric paired tests.ResultsOnce‐weekly AKS‐218d, compared to baseline twice‐daily insulin therapy, resulted in no significant changes in clinical signs, median (range) body weight (+0.4 kg [−0.5‐1.1]; P = .6), fructosamine concentration (−75 mmol/L [−215 to +126]; P = .4), or mean IG (+81 mg/dL [−282 to +144]; P = .8). No adverse reactions were reported.ConclusionControl of clinical signs, body weight, and maintenance of glycemia was achieved with this once‐weekly novel insulin construct in 4 of 5 dogs.     

The role of flatfishes in the organization and structure of the eastern Bering Sea ecosystem

We evaluated the role of flatfishes in the organization and structure of the eastern Bering Sea ecosystem using the Ecopath/Ecosim approach. As basic input data for the Ecopath/Ecosim model, we used estimates of biomass from bottom trawl surveys and age-structured population models, production/biomass (P/B) ratio, consumption/biomass (Q/B) ratio, diet composition (DC), and fisheries harvests for each component of species or species groups. We estimated the trophic level of each component, niche overlaps among flatfishes, and the impacts of competition and predation on flatfish species in the eastern Bering Sea ecosystem. Based on those estimates, we developed the tropho-dynamic structure of the ecosystem, and the model was used to simulate ecological effects of fishery exploitation patterns. No single flatfish species appeared to have a profound and uniquely important role in the organization and structure of the ecosystem. Instead, the most important component among the guild of flatfish species appeared to be yellowfin sole Pleuronectes asper, which had greater biomass than other flatfish and a relatively diverse diet among the small flatfish species. Pacific halibut Hippoglossus stenolepis, Greenland turbot Reinhardtius hippoglossoides, and arrowtooth flounder Atheresthes stomias were important keystone predators in the eastern Bering Sea ecosystem together with some groups of marine mammals and sea birds. Intra flatfish complex cannibalism was not observed, however, substantial diet overlaps were common in the flatfish guild system.     

OsGF14b modulates defense signaling pathways in rice panicle blast response

Rice with panicle-blast resistance is needed for stable rice production. Although we have previously demonstrated that OsGF14b underlies a quantitative trait lo...